How many of your treasured memories are now stored digitally?
Think pictures, videos, music – with more than 38 million active social media users in the UK, the popularity of social media means it has become an integral part of life where we store many of these memories.
But what happens to these if you die?
It might well be that the precious image of you which is treasured by your loved ones is stored digitally on your Facebook account. Will they still be able to get hold of it?
And also consider all the additional services you have signed up to online such as email, shopping accounts and bank accounts.
You can make provisions in your Will to make sure the right people have access to your social media accounts in the unfortunate event of your death.
You can leave certain details in your will such as links to your social media and other online accounts which could save a huge amount of heartache for your relatives and loved ones.
Here’s what you can do with some of the more popular accounts:
You can appoint a Legacy Contact to look after your account after you die via your Facebook settings. They will be able to pin posts on your timeline, update your profile picture, request to have your account removed and respond to friend requests.
Your Legacy Contact can either delete your account, or memorialise it. The word ‘Remembering’ will appear just before your name to signify that your account has been memorialised. No one will be able to login to this account, but people may still post on your timeline from their own accounts to write tributes and share posts.
For more information: https://www.facebook.com/help/103897939701143
Twitter does not have a memorialisation option. It accepts a request only from a verified immediate family member to deactivate the account. The family member needs to provide proof of identity, information about the deceased, and a copy of the deceased’s death certificate.
For more information: https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/contact-twitter-about-a-deceased-family-members-account
Works on similar lines to Facebook, the account can be memorialised or deleted. If the account is memorialised, it can’t be changed – your posts will only be visible to your chosen audience.
If you don’t let people know your social media and digital account details before you die, then your loved ones might need to go through court proceedings which can take time and cost money.
For more information: https://help.instagram.com/264154560391256
The business forum LinkedIn offers relatives the opportunity to close the account and remove the profile from the site. This removes the distress of people getting suggestions they connect with someone from beyond the grave, or that you congratulate them on their work anniversary. To start the process, you can follow the link and fill in a form: https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/ask/ts-rdmlp